Happy 6th Birthday, Reece...

Our baby boy turned 6 on January 17th so naturally we had to do some baking.  Everyone says you cannot give cake to dogs but I don't believe this.  I have always given my dogs cakes and chocolates but in moderation.  Reece was getting a single cupcake and the rest was for us people!  I finally decided to use the tips and see what designs I could come up with.

My impression of Reece!


A Bowl of Food for us!

 



Love this photo.

Practice - Rose Swirls

I already have my idea nailed down for Aaron's upcoming 16th birthday cake but I was having a hard time trying to decide what to do for Ariana's upcoming 13th birthday.  I don't want to spend another 5+ hours in the kitchen so I searched online for some teenager's birthday cake ideas.  Of all the cake ideas I found so far, nothing seems like Ariana!

 

Lately she's likes making cupcakes so I thought that could be an idea.  This weekend we went over to the US.  It was the end of March Break and we wanted to do something different so we drove to Windsor, Ontario and crossed over to Detroit through the tunnel.  We found a Walmart Superstore in Dearborn, Michigan and I was pleasantly surprised to find a few baking items...on sale!

 

Since this weekend was also the beginning of Spring, I decided to bake a 'spring coloured' cake...and tested the design I like for her cake.  I have to say I amazed myself.  This cake was so beautiful that I had a very hard time cutting it.

 

I think that's enough practice!

 

Cake Decorating using Tips...

I knew it would happen eventually!  Whenever I start something new or have an idea, I get excited but once I know I can actually do it...I get bored. 

 

I won't say I am entirely bored with cake decorating as yet because every cake I have done so far is different.  However, preparing the cake batter and getting it baked is the boring part so I get Ariana to do it...she needs some practice in that area still.  Sometimes she really amazes me with her ideas, as she has been watching YouTube videos and learning alot.

 

I think it is safe to say we've both come a long way in terms of using fondant and gumpaste so now we are ready to take on the challenge of using the decorating tips.  I was always nervous about this even though I never tried it.  I was lucky to get a 50% off coupon for Michaels so I went in and used in on the 55 piece tip set.  I thought I might as well get the entire set for half price, since we would be experimenting, and buying them individually can really add up in the end.

 

Early Birthday Present...

This is what happens when a man doesn't want to do something you asked!  My birthday is slowely approaching and Andy wants to know what to get me.  He asked himself and then put the kids to ask me as well.  At first I couldn't think of anything I needed or wanted...and then I remembered!  Maybe he could get me the pink underglow kit for my Jeep, and have it installed.  This is something I requested in the past but I think the only reason I still don't have it is because I want PINK!!!  This time he claimed to have found a site where it is sold and can be installed...but he still asked "what colour do you want?"  OMG, I am not going to change my mind...I want PINK but I will live with purple!

 

I was recently looking into buying a caddy to store my tools but couldn't get one at a decent price.  This weekend Andy and Aaron went to Canadian Tire and noticed that this set went on sale.  He convinced me to go out with him on Sunday so that he can fill up on gas...and maybe he could take me to Michaels to get this at a better price!

The only problem now is...I wanted this kit to store the tools I already have but it came with so many pieces of it's own that I still need to find another storage unit!  Men...why didn't he just install the light!!!

My First 'official" Cake Order.

Well after months of practice, I finally felt comfortable accepting my very first cake order!  I have to admit that when I was asked to make this cake, a few weeks ago, I was a bit intimidated even though I agreed to make it.  To-date, I have only made cakes for us at home...and I've brought a couple in to work for farewells and potlucks.

 

Even though people 'rave' about how good my cakes look and taste, I still felt nervous about taking an order.  People can be really tough critics, especially when they are paying for something.

 

Thankfully, my first order came from a co-worker whom I have know for over 5 years (we worked together at another company before joining the one we are at now).  She wanted a small cake for just her family of 4, to celebrate her hubby's 47th birthday.  Her girls requested a vanilla cake with a layer of chocolate pudding.  The design for this cake was a motorcylcle to represent her hubby's love of motorcycles, after he recently purchased a yellow pocket bike.

For this cake design, I had to use a loaf pan to get the size and shape I needed to create the motorcycle.  After the cake cooled I layered it and spread the chocolate pudding in between and then left it to set.  I then cut out the shape of the motorcycle before coating it with a layer of icing and let it set in the fridge.  I rolled out yellow fondant and hand cut the shapes I needed before using the black fondant.  I had to go back and forth with the shapes as I was cutting them using a photo and I had to reshape and resize them to fit.  After I had all the shapes I arranged them on top of the cake to form the motorcycle.  Some minor details were added to give a bit of a realistic look, like brushing silver dust on the handles and wheelsf.  'Happy 47th Dad' was cut out in red fondant and arranged at the side (bottom) of the cake.

Hope the family has a great celebration and enjoys their cake...as much as I enjoyed making it!!!

 

Halloween - Cute Monster Cake...

Halloween was approaching and our social committee organized an office potluck...with only deserts!  It was difficult to decide what to bing but some people were expecting me to bring another cake ...and I didn't want to disappoint them!

I looked online for some ideas and I have to admit...there are some pretty creative people out there!  I ended up choosing this monster design as it was so cute.  I coudn't decided on a colour but ended up agreeing with Ariana and went with orange.  The cake was just a simple chocolate cake layered with buttercream frosting.  To create the monster shags or fur, I used a grass tip to apply the frosting.  I started from the bottom and worked my way up carefully letting the shags overlap the last layer.  For the eyes, I made cake pops and covered them in fondant.  I also used fondant to create the mouth and some scary teeth.

Everyone at home, and at work loved this cute monster.  The only problem was...no one wanted to cut into it!

Lazy Day Cake - Ladybug & Flowers...

Ariana and I just felt like making a cake and we had a bit of left over fondant from another project so we put this cake together.  It was the first time I tried making a rose and bud.  We started out with a lemon flavour cake and covered it with green fondant.  For the boarder, we molded green leaves. Then we did some cut out flowers in different shades of pink and different sizes.  I made the rose and bud and attached a few leaves.  Then we thought of the lady bug.  We just placed the flowers where we felt they looked good.

 

This was the outcome after having no plans...but it did taste good!